Welcome Home
by Man of the North
Summary: Timon and Pumbaa never imagined adopting Simba would lead to them being adopted into a lion's pride and becoming the most trusted friends of the king. What will life among the hunters of the savannah be like? And can their new feline family survive the wackiness of the manic meerkat and the dull-witted warthog? Mosty warm-hearted fluff! Rated T to be safe.
1. Queen's Peace

Welcome to the Pride  
By Man of the North  
These stories were partly inspired by a piece on Deviantart called No Remorse by Alan-the-leopard. I do not own The Lion King or the Timon & Pumbaa TV series or any other fandom, characters, or songs.  
_**Chapter One: Queen's Peace  
**_

* * *

Timon watched Simba and Nala step out from the cave and into the warm sunlight as they did every morning. They giggled, bumped their hips, and rubbed their bodies together; talking in soft tones about everyone and everything and nothing and nobody. To see them adoring each other in such a way, you would never think that they had nearly killed each other once.

And it had been because Nala had tried to kill Timon and Pumbaa.

It hadn't been anything personal. The Pride Lands had suffered dearly under Scar's reign. The savannah became barren and the herds had literally left for greener pastures. Nala, unbeknownst to Scar, had escaped in the middle of the night to seek help from someone strong enough to usurp the tyrannical king. Timon, in spite of himself, had to admire the lioness for making the journey across the desert to his old home in Hukuna Matata, underfed as she was...

And then defeating Simba in combat...

He and Pumbaa had been enjoying a morning stroll through the paradisiacal jungle until he noticed Pumbaa had wandered off. The only predators Timon and his warthog buddy ever worried about coming into their jungle were two Machiavellian cheetahs, who never bothered them again after Simba had fully matured.

Yet, without Pumbaa, the world around him became still and deathly quiet. The meerkat's gut churned as the tension in the air weighed down on him.

Abruptly, violently; the silence was broke by Pumbaa's shrill scream echoing through the forest, followed by a ferocious growling roar.

Timon dashed off in the direction of the sound, frantically calling out for his friend. He found the poor warthog desperately trying to get free from beneath a giant arched tree root.

_"What's going on?!" demanded Timon. _

**_"SHE'S GONNA EAT ME!"_**

_'Huh?' _

Timon scrabbled onto the tree root to see what Pumbaa was shouting about, and he would never forget the sight of a feral slavering lioness charging at them through the undergrowth.

This was different than the cheetahs. While the cheetah brothers had retained some of their rationality when hunting, this nightmarish creature had totally given into her primal instincts. There was no reasoning with a predator whose killer instinct was shifted into full gear. Nala was going to slaughter Timon and Pumbaa without hesitation... without remorse.

A bloodcurdling scream loosed from Timon's own mouth when the savage monster lunged at them, teeth bared and claws extended.

Thank the spirits that Simba came in at the last second to tackle the lioness. The meerkat cheered him on as his adopted cub matched Nala blow for blow. He was confident that their lives were not forfeit. Then, his heart dropping into his stomach, he saw the lioness pin Simba to ground, her fangs inches from his throat.

It was over... Simba was dead and they were next.

_'Nala?'_

It was a name Simba knew that Timon didn't recognize. And, miraculously, the girl's bloodthirsty expression immediately melted into shock. Her eyes became clear and she backed away, almost fearful. It'd make sense for her to be scared, snapping out of her feral state, coming down from the adrenaline, and meeting a strange lion that somehow knew her.

To Timon's slack-jawed amazement, Simba and this 'Nala' creature cried out in joy, dancing around each other like two bosom friends who hadn't seen one another in years.

And it was exactly that. She was Simba's best friend from his childhood. The male lion called Pumbaa over to meet the lioness, in which Pumbaa warmly greeted her and she returned in kind. Momentarily taken in by the cheerful atmosphere, Timon was about to introduce himself before remembering what had happened in the past two minutes.

_'Whoa! Whoa! Timeout! You know her. She knows you. But **she **wants to eat him. And everyone is **okay **with this...? **Did I miss something?!' **_

Simba's simply told Timon to calm down in response.

It hadn't been personal. It was just The Circle of Life that Nala had been following. Timon and Pumbaa were fair game in her eyes, but they didn't die, so all was well.

Not for Timon it wasn't.

That _animal _had been hell-bent on feasting upon Pumbaa's flesh. She had almost _killed_ his surrogate son/little brother. He didn't know what would have become of himself, but with the way she had been, Nala likely wouldn't have scorned a little meerkat appetizer.

Pumbaa just said 'Hukuna Matata' and let himself be completely at ease around his would-have-been murderer. Timon was also an experienced student of the carefree lifestyle, but he was a meerkat. He could never completely abandon his paranoid and skittish nature. While he was different from his fellow meerkats and more easy-going like his mother, she told him he took more after his father, who had been a life long sentry. While he had been a brave confident meerkat, his mental condition in his final days had become worse than Uncle Max's.

Paranoid and skittish was an understatement. Knowing that your species is so low on the food chain that you live underground would put you into a state of constant fear, which it had with most meerkats.

And Timon, just getting used to living among a lion pride, still feared Nala a great deal.

* * *

"And Timon decided that since he had cute little gumdrop eyes, a swirly cue shell, and he was a snail; he'd name him 'Speedy'!

Timon watched and listened with some amazement as Pumbaa elicted a peal of laughter from a certain Queen lioness. Timon knew full well the forgiving and kindly nature of his friend, yet for him to just nestle himself besides Nala like it was the most natural thing in the world was... He didn't have a word for it.

"Hey, Timon!" called Pumbaa. "Come join us! I'm regaling Nala with tales of our adventures!"

The meerkat stood rigid before the lioness' gaze. She smiled at him invitingly, happy to let him partake in the conversation. No hostility or ill-intent in those blue eyes.

She genuinely wanted his company.

For a moment, he almost gave in... but his strong memory held him back... and not for the first time.

Pumbaa furrowed his brow in concern when his normally outgoing friend said not a word, but simply turned away to walk back into the cavern.

The troubled frown etched on Nala's face disappeared before the warthog noticed it.

* * *

The picture of a warthog and a meerkat sleeping in a lion's den was unreal.

But when you live long enough in a universe like ours, you'll come to realize that the term 'reality' gets pretty shaky.

Timon rested on Pumbaa's stomach, wide awake with his eyes glued to the ceiling. He couldn't get to sleep! No matter which way he twisted or turned, his body refused to get comfortable. Sighing in aggravation, he sat up to survey the den. Lionesses were piled about all around, absolutely dead to the world. Cats! It doesn't matter how big they are. They are the heavyweight champions of slumber.

His eyes locked onto Simba and _her _sleeping on the plateau in the middle of the cave. Timon could not deny that they looked just right together; all cuddled up and Heaven have mercy on whoever tried to hurt either of them in each other's presence.

_'Heaven had mercy on you and Pumbaa when that crazy chick attempted to eat you.'_

Timon gave a sharp jerk of his head.

This wasn't good! This wasn't healthy! That crazy chick was his cub's mate. She was the queen of The Pridelands. And if Pumbaa was cool with her, she was cool with ole' Timon!

_'Oh no, she's not. Did you see that gazelle's blood on her muzzle from lunch? Her teeth stained pink from tearing into the poor creature's flesh? I can't believe the damage those jaws can do... What they could have done...'_

The meerkat slid off his friend's stomach, running out to the edge of Pride Rock's peak.

He once said to Pumbaa that the stars were millions of fireflies that had gotten stuck up in the sky, but by how humbled he became by those millions of sparkling dots decorating that endless dark blue ocean, he knew they were something much grander. They gave him this awesome feeling of smallness and a yearning for adventure that never failed to make his face light up in excitement.

Not until tonight, that is.

He hadn't felt this troubled since the day he was kicked out of the colony for leaving his post to go woo the princess, allowing a cobra to break in and ransack the town and kidnap the same princess.

He wished Ma were here. She'd know how to make him feel better. Uncle Max would encourage his fear of Nala. Simba would be surprised and hurt if he knew Timon's thoughts. Pumbaa would just tell him to remember 'Hakuna Matata' and become friends with the queen. And Timon didn't feel he had known Simba's mother, Sarabi, long enough to confide in her.

And he really didn't want another meeting with that crazed monkey shaman! He liked to whack people on the head with a stick!

So, who did he turn to?

_'Somebody once told me that the great kings of the past are up there, watching over us.' _

The meerkat mentally kicked himself for having laughed at Simba's belief. Timon did indeed believe in an afterlife. And with the kind of life he had led, he could believe in past lion kings living up there. Heck! By now he could believe in just about anything! He would never have believed Simba to be royalty.

He cleared his throat nervously, having never done what he was about to.

"Uh... Your majesty, King Mufasa? I don't know if you know me... Well, if you've been keeping an eye on Simba, then you probably know me. Pumbaa and I did raise him... Definitely not the way you would've if the stories I've heard of you are true, but we gave it our best shot and I would say your son's grown into a fine feline."

Timon hadn't really been expecting a response, it just felt good to talk. So, he was caught off guard when a sudden soft breeze hit him, just strong enough to make stagger back a bit.

"I hope that means you agree," muttered Timon. "But what I wanted to talk to you about was his girlfriend, Nala."

Silence.

"As you may know, she tried to eat Pumbaa and me. And if it weren't for your son, we'd likely be up there with you. I'm not a king, though... Your son considers me family, but I really don't know where I'm headed after I give up the fight here... But getting back on topic; she scared- no. **Terrified** me. I hadn't felt so scared in my life. It wasn't just for me, but for Pumbaa and Simba..."

Timon bowed his head.

"A-And there was nothing I could do... Your son used to throw me up in the air and bat me around with just a twitch of his paws when he was a cub. Timon the meerkat versus a vicious full grown lioness? A-ha ha ha! A-heh... Oh..."

He ran a his fingers through his crop of red hair.

"And if Simba hadn't recognized her, he would have been as much a goner as we were. And I know that Nala loves him. She wouldn't hurt him now. And I want to believe she wouldn't hurt me or Pumbaa, but whenever I look at her, I see her as she was when she attacked us. I would like to say 'no worries' and she was just being a lion, but I... _I don't want to be food! _I don't want the last thing I see in this life to be the gullet of a beast!"

He sat down to bring his knees up to his chest and bury his face in his arms.

"I forgot about these feelings when she and Simba fell in love and when we saved Pride Rock, but now they're back. And I don't want to feel this way about her... I really don't. I want to see her as part of the gang. Part of the family. I... geez..."

No voice came out of the sky and there was not another gust of wind.

Timon chucked, waving his hand dismissively.

"I guess I'm just being a mook. You shouldn't have to be ashamed for being what you are. She was a hungry lioness. I'm such a fraidy meerkat... I shouldn't have to bother you with this stuff. I bet you've got plenty of really important things to worry about up there. Don't worry yourself about me."

He continued to sit there, staring off to the horizion until he was startled by the rough tongue of a lion grooming his back.

"What the-?!"

The warm cerulean waters of the Caribbean flooded his vision as they had the morning Nala roused him awake to inquire of Simba's whereabouts. The first time, he had only seen the eyes of a carnivore, triggering his ancestral fears until he realized it was only her, and she meant no harm. There had been no fury in those waters that morning, only curiosity.

Now, they bore down on him with such tenderness that all of the meerkat's ugly imaginings were drowned by them.

Timon regained his composure, looking away from the lioness in a sheepish manner.

"I take it you heard me, huh?" he asked.

She rumbled softly with a graceful dip of her head.

"I'm... sorry... I'm so very sorry..." he whispered out, sorrowfully.

In a gentle motion, Nala reached out to draw him close.

"Simba loves you and Pumbaa. Sarabi loves you. _**I **_love you... And I won't ever try to hurt you or Pumbaa again."

She pressed her muzzle to Timon. The same muzzle she used to take down prey and nearly used on him and Pumbaa.

And then she began to purr, sending vibrations through his tiny body. Consoling, protective purrs.

His fear was gone, never to return. So long as she lived, Nala would fight anyone or anything who threatened her mate's fathers.

Slowly, Timon wrapped his small arms around her muzzle, unaware of when she lied down and gathered him into her paws. He could not have stopped one happy tear from escaping him to save his life. He was at peace, and they were well and truly family now.

He sighed blissfully as he nuzzled into her light golden fur and a soft second breeze stroked them.

"You know," murmured Timon, "You are going to make a fine mother someday."

Nala's purr rose and her tail lazily rose to flop back onto the peak's stone surface.

"You... are going to make a fine uncle _very_ soon."

Timon simply hummed in reply before his chocolate eyes snapped wide open in shock.

_'Uncle? Cub? Late night bathroom runs? Tree climbing?! ROUGHHOUSING?! **WATERFALLS?!**' _

The longsuffering wail of our favorite meerkat made certain nobody on Pride Rock was getting any sleep that night!

* * *

_**To be Continued...**_

**If Disney has plans for ever making another honest to goodness Lion King movie (_The Lion Guard was oh so disappointing), _****show them this story! ****And by the way, do you think the humorous ending to this chapter was needed? Should I have kept it serious and sweet?**


	2. Cub Day Afternoons

_**Chapter**** Two: Cub Day Afternoons **_

_In The Lion King 2: Simba's Pride, Kiara was mostly annoyed by Timon and Pumbaa except in the 'Fun' scene, but Kovu was in the way.  
_

* * *

_This is the End... Beautiful Friend... This is the End... My Only Friend..._

**_"Pride Rock... I feel like I've eaten a bad grub that sat in the sun too long... I'm only on Pride Rock. Every time, I think I'm gonna wake back up in the savannah."_**

"Timon...? Who are you talking to?"

_**"When we visited our old jungle home, it was worse. I'd wake up and there'd be nothing. I hardly said a word to the warthog until I said 'yes' to returning to The Pride Lands."**_

"Hey, Simba! Can ya come here?"

_**"When I was here, I wanted to be there. When I was there... All I could think of was getting back into the savannah." **_

"Timon? Are you alright? You're looking spaced out Pops."

_**"I've been here a day now. Waiting for a mission. Getting softer... Every minute I stay on this rock, I get weaker. And every minute Fuzzball crouches in the grass... she gets stronger."**_

"Ah! I remember he once got like this after saving you from that rock python you picked a fight with as a cub. I believe it's called 'the thousand yard stare'. Often worn by veterans who've suffered great trauma in the line of duty."

**_"Each time I look... the cave walls move in a little tighter." _**

"Yup. Really got to him..."

**"TIMON!"  
**

* * *

Timon nearly jumped ten feet, startled by Simba bellowing his name right behind him.

"What?! What?! What's wrong?!"

He gazed up Simba and wondered at the king's bemused expression.

"Welcome back." said Simba.

Timon blinked.

"Did I go somewhere?"

"I don't know, but you were acting weird. Would _Fuzzball_ happen to be my daughter?"

"Fuzzball?!" cried an indignant Timon. "Why would anyone wanna call Kiara 'Fuzzball'?! She's a beautiful little cub!"

"Because you were..." Simba sighed with a shake of his head. "Look, Timon. I know Kiara can be a handful. If keeping an eye on her is stressing you and Pumbaa out, you guys can take a rest and I'll have one of the lionesses tail her next time she goes out."

"Pfft! Kiara? Stress us out? Please, compared to you, Kiara is a tame little lamb. Pumbaa and I love watching the kid."

_"Tame little lamb?" _muttered Pumbaa under his breath.

To say Timon and Pumbaa had been shocked by the revelation that Simba and Nala's boy was actually a girl was an understatement. **_Girls _**were T-R-O-U-B-L-E _**trouble**_! They were..._ ladylike_! They balked at manly and macho things! Like belching! Saturday night poker! Lazing in front of the TV and guzzling down Kahuna Coladas! Nala already cramped their lifestyle and stole their boy away. Now, they had to fret and fuss over a royal daughter!

Lion cubs were cute, cuddly, _**nightmarish**_ creatures that seemed to have no care for their own safety.

Timon and Pumbaa couldn't bring themselves to tell Simba that stalking his daughter was gonna drive them to an early grave.

_**"I wanted a mission. And for my sins, they gave me one."**_

* * *

The vicious glare of the African sun made Timon and Pumbaa long for the shade of trees and a cool drink of water.

Unfortunately, they had again been tasked by Simba to keep an eye on Kiara. Though the hyenas had been ousted from The Pride Lands, there were still plenty of other dangers lurking in the tall grass. It was a drag, but the meerkat and warthog worried about their niece too. They didn't want what happened to their son to happen to her. Hyenas, murderous royals, nearly dying in a desert, being raised by a couple knuckleheads.

So yes, they were determined to keep an eye on her... If only they hadn't already lost sight of her...

_"Warhog, do you have a ten-twenty on the princess?" _

_"Ten-twenty?" _

_"Do you see her anywhere?" _

_"Oh! Negatory, Wildkat. I see nothing but grass, a couple trees, a few boulders, and a stampeding herd of wildebeest closing in on our position." _

_"Wilde...? Aw, not again!" _

Timon and Pumbaa were flushed out of their hiding places with the herd hot on their heels. The earth rumbled like thunder, but in the midst of it was the sound of laughter. The laughter belonged to none other than Kiara, who was riding atop the leading wildebeest and having the time of her life. She didn't notice her uncles.

"She definitely takes after her dad!" yelled Timon.

"And has her grandmother's looks!" returned Pumbaa.

The meerkat saw an Acacia tree up ahead.

"We'll climb that tree and then drop down on them! She won't get away from us then!"

They did exactly that. Once Kiara went past, the two dropped down from a branch and onto the wildebeest behind the leader.

"Ma'am, I'm gonna have to ask you to pull your wildebeest over!" Timon ordered in his best authoritative voice.

Kiara sighed in aggravation.

"I just knew my father would send you!"

"It's a good thing too! Now stop the herd or you'll be the first lion cub to get a speeding ticket!"

Kiara's amber eyes suddenly widened in horror.

"BEHIND YOU!"

Timon scoffed, thinking she was trying to trick him. Still, that irresistible urge to look won him over.

The meerkat's heart dropped to his stomach when he met the cold hungry glare of Death itself. A creature that was feared throughout Africa, even by the boldest of elephants. A danger that Timon and Pumbaa only saw from afar on rare occasions and hoped to never encounter.

The black mamba unhinged it's jaws to reveal the wet black interior of it's mouth; it's fangs coursing with it's dreadful venom.

_"Meeerkaaat," _it hissed. _"Easssy Preeey." _

Timon decided right then and there that he'd like to be reincarnated as a mongoose.

Kiara screamed when the reptile lunged with lightning speed and Timon barely dodged before leaping on the creature's back to wrap his hands around the base of it's head. They went tumbling down Pumbaa's back, the snake hissing in fury as Timon hung on with incredible strength for a meerkat. A few seconds was an eternity in a fight like this, and being bounced around on the hide of a wildebeest didn't make it any shorter.

Pumbaa, bless his soul, managed to get a grip on the snake's tail.

"TOSS HIM ON THE COUNT OF THREE!" the meerkat shouted, rearing his head back from the snapping jaws.

"ONE! TWO! **THREE!**"

Pumbaa swung the evil serpent like a lasso and sent it flying into the stampede.

Hopefully, that got rid of it for good.

Kiara cheered uncontrollably for her uncles, relieved that they were safe.

... And she stopped when they set their glares on her.

* * *

Kiara trailed behind the meerkat and warthog. She had gotten a scolding from Timon, and even Pumbaa had been upset. She could've fallen off the wildebeest and broken her neck or been trampled to death like her grandfather, Mufasa. She knew they were right, but the temptation had been so strong. And she truly had fun riding atop a creature she would end up hunting when she matured.

Then he got on her case about the snake. Hoo boy!

She let out an exaggerated sigh.

"Oh, don't give us that!" cried Timon. "Not even your father was this big a headache when he was a cub! Tame little lamb?! Yeah, right!"

"I said I was sorry! And the snake wasn't even my fault!"

Pumbaa spoke up.

"The wildebeest that you weren't supposed to be riding drove us up a tree, which is where the snake likely came from. But then, it was Timon's idea to climb it."

"Hey, it's not like there was anywhere else to go!"

"True, but I don't think we can blame her for the snake."

Timon rubbed his face tiredly.

"Yeah, but a black mamba?! I'd rather go fifteen rounds with a python!"

"You did when Simba was a cub, remember?"

Timon shuddered.

"I've been trying to forget it."

"... Do you have to tell my parents about what happened...?" asked Kiara.

Her uncles halted.

She had used that pitiful tone that pulled at their heartstrings. They knew that Simba was a little too protective of his daughter. Nala was much more relaxed, but if she heard about the wildebeests, that might change. Kiara had already disobeyed her father and ventured into the outlands, leading to a run in with Scar's mate, Zira. The lioness hated Simba with a passion, holding him responsible for the death of Scar. She would stop at nothing to quench the enraged fires that burned her soul. Fires that could only be sated by The King's death.

A loved one such as his daughter would make a nice little tidbit.

The kid was kept on a short enough leash, and as students of 'Hakuna Matata', they'd feel terrible for making it shorter.

Timon exhaled deeply.

"No. We won't tell them. But no- and I mean _**no**_\- no more wildebeest riding. Kay?"

Kiara gave a bare nod, her face brightening.

"Kay."

"Now, then... How about some grubs for lunch?"

"Eww!"

"C'mon, kid! Just one! You'll like 'em!"

"No!"

"Come here and eat this grub!"

"NO!"

"Kiar- Oy Vey! Pumbaa! After her!"

* * *

Simba half-listened to Zazu's afternoon report.

A territorial dispute between the elephants and rhinos. Monkey's disturbing the neighbors with their mating rituals. The cheetahs would be having their annual cross-country race soon. Was Kiara safe?

"NO!"

Simba's blood turned into ice water. Into the grasslands he went, rushing towards the sound of his daughter's scream with Zazu close behind him.

"HOLD ON, KIARA!" he roared.

He knew this would happen! He knew that the outsiders would invade! Or the hyena's would return! Or some vile vicious predator would find his daughter! And what of Timon and Pumbaa? What was he thinking sending them? They could only do so much against certain dangers, even when they possessed the ability to defy the laws of physics! They had raised him in the moderate safety of the jungle, but The Pride Lands was a whole different ball game!

He was getting close. And he was prepared to rip the flesh off whatever being that was stupid enough to threaten his cub!

"EEK! GET IT AWAY FROM ME!"

A roar was about to escape his throat when he heard Kiara... laughing?

Simba slowed to uncertain gait as he came into a clearing to see Pumbaa chasing Kiara in a circle while Timon shook a grub at her in mock anger.

"A BIG FAT JUICY GRUB!" cried Pumbaa.

"WHY WOULD ANYONE WANNA EAT SOMETHING LIKE THAT?!"

"EAT THE DARNED THING AND YOU'LL KNOW WHY!" returned Timon.

Relief flooded Simba's body when he saw that there was no danger. Just Timon and Pumbaa doing what they did best. Having fun.

He lay down to observe the spectacle with a warm smile adorning his muzzle, saying nothing when a bewildered Zazu settled beside him.

"Did these two really raise you, sire?" he inquired after a minute.

Simba only purred deeply.

"NEVER!"

"SLIMEY YET SATISFYING!"

* * *

The brilliant blue sky stretching over the Serengeti darkened with red, orange, and purple clouds on the horizon as the sun set.

Nala sat at the bottom of Pride Rock's gangway, waiting for her family to come home. She wasn't too worried about Simba. He could hold his own in a fight. But Timon and Pumbaa were prey animals. She could admit that Timon was clever, and had a spirit that his tiny body shouldn't be able to contain. Pumbaa could be be a heavy hitter in a fight if his friends were in danger, but he was a such a peace-loving animal.

Not only that. They were tasked with guarding her cub today.

She was getting ready to- There they were!

Simba had a tired Kiara gently grasped in his maw...

... And an exhausted Timon and Pumbaa on his back.

"What happened to them?" the queen asked.

"Dey fer awgered ow vom baying," the king tried to reply, still carrying Kiara.

"What now?" she asked again, thoroughly amused.

He didn't say another word until he had marched into the den, carefully setting Pumbaa down on his back and Kiara on his belly, followed by placing Timon next to her.

"I said they were tuckered out from playing."

"I figured it was something like that."

The king and his queen stared at the cuddle pile with tender emotion.

"They really treasure her," Nala whispered.

"Yeah, and she treasures them just as much... They fill so many of her days with laughter... If anything ever happens to me, I know I can count on them to look after her."

Nala stifled a laugh when Kiara pulled her meerkat uncle to her chest, drawing a contented sigh from him.

"Or she'll grow to look after them."

* * *

_**I got distracted from The Lion King, which is why I took so long updating. Don't worry, guys. I'm thinking of a way to get characters like Quint, Smolder, and Speedy into the story. I'll have to re-watch episodes of the Timon & Pumbaa show to get a feel for them. Anyway, The Lion King is a beautiful thing. You guys are beautiful. **__**Now that I've complimented you, please review. **_

_P.S- The lyrics at the beginning of the chapter are from The End by The Doors, mostly know for it's use in Apocalypse Now. _


	3. With Friends Like These

_**Chapter Three: With Friends Like These**_

_Sorry I haven't updated in a while. This coronavirus crap has everybody scared stiff. I think it's big scam myself. I mean, thirty thousand to sixty thousand Americans catch and/or die of the common cold or influenza every year. __I don't know what the death toll for the wide world is, but as far as I know, the coronavirus is a fancy word for the flu. The casualty rate of the flu hasn't ever been publicized, but it's always been there. Anyway, here's the next chapter of my story! Enjoy and stay clean and warm!  
_

* * *

If you live in Alaska, you should know that seven things that you must absolutely own is a big truck with four wheel drive, a shotgun, a few cases of double-aught buck, long jumper cables, a towing strap, a hatchet, and a lighter.

Timon and Pumbaa weren't in Alaska, but they were on the run from a creature that all Alaskans have or should have a healthy fear of.

We'll get to them in a minute, but _bear _with me for now.

When my dad lived in Ketchikan, one of his friends was a man by the name of Bruce Johnstone; a man who knew the southeast wilderness like the back of his hand. One time, when he was in the reaches of the Revillagigedo Valley at the confluence of The Unuk River, he became aware that Old Groaner_,_ a gigantic brown bear, was prowling the territory. The reason he was called Old Groaner was because the many gunshot wounds he had sustained over the years caused him to groan in what I guess was pain.

I reckon they made him mighty irritable too.

Now, the story goes that Bruce was prospecting and his dog, Slasher, was with him. But my dad told me that Bruce had a friend and fellow woodsman along. I'll just tell it the way my dad did.

So, they set up camp in a dense brushy area when later that evening, _The Marauder of Cripple Creek _was heard in the distance.

The beast haunted their camp, but kept away from them. Out of fear? I don't know, but they were pretty certain that Groaner didn't like them.

Bruce and his friend played a dangerous game of hide and seek until the bear charged them, and it took three rounds of .405 Winchester to drop him.

Old Groaner, who no one had ever gotten a good look at, was a battle-scarred grizzly with a skull that was seventeen by eleven inches. Big son of a gun.

However, in 1958, Bruce was out hunting for meat when he was confronted with a hungry boar, a sow, and a two year old cub.

He managed to kill the female after she 'chewed him up pretty badly', and he was lucky a few hunters nearby heard the commotion and saved his life.

Two years and two hip replacements later, Johnstone recovered.

Now, I don't approve of game hunting or killing animals just to pass the time, including bears, who a Tlingit friend of the family said was one of my spirit animals. I guess I am rather bear-like, but the only part of the movie _Brother Bear_ you should buy into is that bears are protective of their kin, and they are killers. If they're hungry, they'll eat your wife, your dog, your kids, maybe even the tires off your truck!

My dad loved to tell me the story of Timothy Treadwell. A man who loved wild bears so much he would've considered it an honor to become their feces.

Which is what happened.

Enough about Tim, though. Let's talk about Timon and Pumbaa's current problem with bears.

* * *

"Geez! This guy has serious anger issues!" cried Timon.

"_Huff! Huff! _I'd be a little upset too if my barber left me with a bald spot! _Huff! Huff__!" _retorted Pumbaa, panting.

"He asked for 'a little shave off the top'. He got 'a little shave off the top'!"

"_Huff! _Well, I believe he thinks it was _a little_ more than a little!"

"Well, I believe _he_ should've been _a little _more specific!"

"But the customer is always right, Timon!"

"Not when they're trying to kill you!"

I'm going to try to make this a long story short. Timon and Pumbaa can live off the land, but they do enjoy visiting the human world and human activities. To enjoy them, they need money. So, they apply for jobs which usually end in disaster since Timon's greed, insensitivity, shortsightedness, or downright foolishness gets them in trouble.

This time, they were working as barbers.

It was going rather well until a familiar grizzly bear came through the door.

Timon and Pumbaa had encountered Smolder before. He was a mountain of dark furred muscle with a growly southern accent, and he proudly claimed that his momma was a Kodiak Grizzly.

He wasn't a bad bear per se, but he had a terrible temper that was easily ignited by annoying individuals.

And nothing could be more annoying than having a bald spot on his head because a certain annoying meerkat shaved a little more than a little off the top!

"I'm running on fumes, Timon!"

"What else is new?!"

"No! I mean I can't run much longer!"

"If you can outrun cheetahs, a bear should be no problem!"

"That was in the jungle, Timon! Plenty of trees and plenty of hiding places! The grasslands are wide and open!"

Timon bit his lip, eyeing the surroundings until he saw their salvation standing on the horizon.

"Pumbaa! Pride Rock! That a way!"

Timon felt bad to be dragging the pride into his mess. What choice did they have, though? They had been on the receiving end of Smolder's wrath before, getting beat until they were black and blue. But this time, Smolder seemed angry enough that he would actually kill them. The Pridelanders were fourteen lionesses strong; eighteen if you counted the elders. Smolder was terribly strong, but surely he could not fight off an entire pride.

Pumbaa had said to himself that he had to lose some pounds, and he certainly was now! His heart felt as if it were going to burst and his legs were turning to Jell-O.

_'Push, Pumbaa! Push! Just a little further!' _he thought.

He reached his breaking point.

With a cry he collapsed into the dirt, skidding a few feet and throwing Timon off.

"Pumbaa!" cried the meerkat.

Pumbaa lay there, his sides heaving from exhaustion. He rolled his tired eyes at his friend.

"Go, Timon. Save yourself." he wheezed.

A deep growly voice sneered from behind them.

"Now I've gotcha."

Smolder towered over Timon and Pumbaa like a giant out of a fevered nightmare, the bald spot between his ears doing little to affect his murderous visage. Froth spilled out the corners of his lips and his black eyes seemed to glare right into their souls. He cracked his neck and extended his large claws, made for ripping large chunks of flesh out of deer, moose, and whatever else he may feel like eating.

"Heh, it's my turn to do the trimming," he chuckled darkly.

Timon jumped on top of Pumbaa with his arms spread out, glaring defiantly as the bear raised a massive paw.

Smolder loosed a roar of anger and surprise when he was tackled by a lioness.

"Sarabi!" cried Timon in relief, seeing their adoptive lion mother. "Pumbaa! We're saved!"

He joy melted into dread when Smolder tossed the old queen over his head and turned his attention back to them.

"Oh no you're not." he growled.

He had barely taken a step towards them when two more lioness attacked him from the sides and a third one, Nala, jumped in front of the meerkat and warthog.

"Timon, who is this?" she asked evenly.

"Nala? Meet Smolder. Smolder? Nala."

Smolder managed to fend off his attackers, breathing hard and covered in many cuts.

He glared down at the new lion queen.

"You girls are welcome to eat them," he breathed. "But I'll be the one who kills them."

"We're not going to eat them," returned Nala, her blue eyes blazing. "And you're not going to kill them."

Smolder snarled.

"What are they to you, kitty cat? I ain't never seen lions pal around with their food and I don't believe they'll start now."

"Well, start believing, because these two are members of our pride and our king's closest friends. If you're their enemy, you're our enemy. And we will fight to the death to defend them."

Smolder saw that Sarabi had gotten to her feet and the other two stood on either side of him once again. He took one hard look at Nala's face; seeing her resolve, he relaxed his stance and sheathed his claws.

"I can't bring myself to hurt a couple of lovely ladies such as yourselves, so I'll take my leave."

He turned his gaze back to Timon and Pumbaa.

"Catch ya later," he grinned.

Once the bear left, the lioness focused on our favorite duo.

"Are you guys alright?"

"Pfft! Yeah! We're fine! That was nothing compared to what we usually deal with! Right, Pumbaa?" Timon asked the recovering warthog.

Pumbaa took in another deep breath.

"Thank you for saving us," he said with the utmost gratitude.

Sarabi stood in front of them, her expression stern. Timon gulped, knowing the look of a scolding mother.

"The two of you are going to explain yourselves when we get home." she said, firmly.

"Oh boy..."

* * *

"What am I going to do with you two?"

Simba sat in front of his old caretakers, fixing them with a longsuffering look.

"You guys have been eaten by giant worms. Thrown in jail. Drafted into a war. Shot at by train robbers. Turned into bugs. You keep running into- what's his name? Quint? And now, you were nearly mauled to death by a bear because you gave him a bad haircut?!"

"And Timon thought a tiki statue was a volcano god named 'Bahuka'," said Pumbaa.

"And we got kicked outta Disney World," added Timon.

"Wha-? No. I don't wanna know. Guys, you can't keep doing things like this! One day, your carelessness is going to get you seriously hurt... or worse..."

"Aw, kid! Lighten up! Sure we've cut it close a few times, but we're still here. Something or someone up there must like us!"

"Uh, Timon?" inquired Pumbaa, "There was that time you ate that one grub and died."

Seeing Simba's eyes nearly pop out of their sockets, Timon quickly replied.

"Yeah, but I came back!"

"After ten whole minutes! The longest and most heartbreaking ten minutes of my life!" blubbered Pumbaa, getting teary-eyed at the memory.

Simba sighed deeply as Timon comforted his friend. He felt as though the role of caretaker had been reversed. Still, these two knuckleheads were the ones who raised him. They helped him cope with the pain of his father's death. They helped him usurp Scar and bring The Pride Lands back from the brink. And they were doting uncles to his daughter, Kiara. But you would think after all the trouble they got into throughout their lives, they would learn to take better care of themselves.

"I have half a mind to ban you from ever leaving The Pridelands again, but I won't." spoke Simba, catching their attention. "But guys, for my sake, please be more careful. You're my best friends. You're my family. And I don't want to lose you."

That sobered them up.

"We're sorry we worried you, Simba." said Pumbaa. "We promise that from this day on, we will tread the road of life more gently _and_ cautiously."

"Ditto," chimed Timon.

Simba smirked with a shake of his head. He really did love these two.

"Alright, you guys can go. And Timon? Go see your mother soon. She was asking about you while you were away."

"You got it, kiddo."

With that, Timon hopped onto Pumbaa's back and they headed outside.

Nala came up alongside her mate to watch their departure.

"You think they'll keep that promise?" she asked with a gentle smile.

"Doubtful, but... I think they'll be okay. I hope."

"After all the stories I've heard about them, I wouldn't worry so much. Somehow, someway, they'll be alright."

"That's how I used to think about my father. He was so strong. So powerful. You remember when he saved us from the hyenas? I couldn't ever imagine him dying. But he did... ... I still have nightmares of him trying to climb out of The Gorge. I reach down to pull him up, but he never makes it... ... ... I'm afraid of the nightmares I'll have of Timon and Pumbaa someday."

Nala nuzzled under her mate's chin, purring comfortingly.

"A wise old baboon once told me that 'your mindset is your future'. Don't dwell on misery and death, Simba."

Simba closed his eyes as he gently nibbled on the edge of her ear.

"It's easy not to when you're with me."

"Hmm? Does that mean I'll have to be with you wherever you go to keep you happy?"

"No. But I definitely wouldn't mind that."

They lay besides each other, exchanging little nuzzles and nudges in a content silence as night fell.

Simba felt that his friends would go on many more wild adventures in the future, and there was nothing that could stop that. They would die one day, and that could not be stopped either. But when they did, he prayed that their passing would be peaceful and surrounded by loved ones. And Mufasa would welcome them to live among The Great Kings, for they had certainly earned such an honor.

He nuzzled his daughter when she curled up between him and Nala, wishing her sweet dreams before he closed his own eyes.

No nightmares came to him that night.

* * *

_**Man, this story isn't easy to write. I don't have much imagination for cartoonish slapstick humor. I'm not a joker like Timon either. I made Smolder more antagonistic than you may've wanted, but... Well... That's just the way the story came to me. Anyway, it might be another few months before I update another chapter.  
**_


	4. Macho Movie Night

_**Chapter Four: Macho Movie Night**_

_I do not own Predator or Top Gun or any songs. Also, if you haven't watched these movies, watch them before reading this chapter... ... ... ... Yeah, right... _

* * *

When I was a kid, me, my old dad, our Brittany Spaniel, a water jug, and whatever we bought from the store, would spend the weekend at our hilltop cabin built on the edge of a cliff. From there was a beautiful view of forests of spruce and birch, boats speeding on the lake in the distance, and Mount McKinley on the horizon. The electricity was powered by a little generator we'd fetch out of the arctic entry and place in a small stand next to the woodshed built alongside the cabin.

The cabin was one single room with a foldout couch, a black leather recliner, an old television set with a built-in VCR, an oven against the right wall, a queen-sized bed hidden behind some curtains, and a bar with classic restaurant stools right in the middle.

Once in a while, my older half-brother- that boneheaded lummox- would come out from Anchorage with his Greyhound pup and a cooler full of_ Milwaukee's Best Premium _beer, his favorite.

While he and dad got to jawing, I would run along with the dogs on the dirt roads, collecting pine-cones just because they were interesting, and swatting mosquitoes left and right. I saw a wolverine run across a path once, and I'm glad the dogs didn't notice him. They are fierce little critters who value their personal space, preferring out-of-the-way places like Glennallen where I nearly ran one over.

The little fella bared his fangs and stood his ground as my two ton Chevy came at him, and I hit the brakes. When he saw it wasn't interested in a fight, he just gave it a few sniffs before ambling along.

Those critters got _huevos_.

Night would come and we'd sometimes get a fire going, shoot off a few fireworks if we had them, and I always brought along the marshmallows. But mostly, we'd crank up the generator and put on some movies rented from our little video store, commencing _Macho Movie Night. _

_Macho Movie Night _is a special event- preferably on a Friday night- where the men- though women aren't excluded- gather round with booze, cigarettes, and kickass, bloody-knuckled, shoot 'em up, crash and burn, rip-tearing, adrenaline junkie action flicks!

It was a sacred tradition among me with a _Boylan Grape Soda _or a _Dad's Root Beer_, Dad with a vodka-tonic, and my brother with his _Milwaukee's Best, _of course.

Man, I miss VHS tapes.

It was a sacred tradition among Timon, Pumbaa, and Simba too.

* * *

Yes, it was a sacred tradition until _she _showed up.

An angel of death that had lured away their lion brother-in-arms. Oh, it was so easy for her! A flutter of those _innocent _bright blue eyes. A nuzzle into his russet-furred chest. A swish of her tail and the sway of her hips. A drink by the waterfall. Frolicking with him through the fields beneath a twilight sky. Placing a lick on his cheek. And then... the sob story of a broken home.

That did it. His fate was sealed. He was doomed. Ich hatt' einen kameraden, baby!

You've heard it before. He promises that true love won't come between you and your buds. We're all still gonna hang out like usual!

"We got _Top Gun_!" cried Pumbaa.

"Highway to the dangerzone!" sang Timon.

"We got _Predator_!"

"The testosterone is lethal with muscle bound galore!"

"The soda is cold! The grubs are delicious! And the entertainment is classic!"

Simba sat with his head bowed and his mane falling over his eyes.

His friends' excitement faded into confused worry.

"Hey, why the long face?" asked Timon.

Simba shifted his paws nervously.

"Uh... Ah, I'm sorry, guys. I can't tonight."

"What? Why not?"

"Well, you know Nala is nearly three months along. She hasn't been able to hunt. She's been nervous. And it makes her feel better that I'm near. Please understand."

Pumbaa, the ever compassionate warthog, spoke first.

"We completely understand, Simba. We'll be fine. Go give Nala our love."

Simba managed a weak smile before turning back to the den. He really did want to watch those movies with the guys. He did not regret coming home and taking his place as king, but he missed his days in the jungle. The smells. The beauty. The different feeling of home and safety that he did not feel here. And the fun. Being a king was a hard calling full of responsibility and worry. It wasn't what he expected as a cub. Nevertheless, he would do his father proud.

"Gah! This stinks!" complained Timon.

"Are you talking about me?" inquired Pumbaa.

"No! I'm talking about how we never have Simba to ourselves anymore! The poor guy's been working himself to death and hardly has time to relax!"

They continued on to their jungle when Pumbaa halted.

"Hey, I know! Why don't we bring the T.V to Pride Rock? That way, Simba and the whole pride can watch the movies with us!"

Timon scoffed.

"Yeah, sure. Set the T.V up in the den and- Hey! I got an idea! Why don't we bring the T.V to Pride Rock so the pride can watch the movies with us?"

"Huh?"

"Gosh, Pumbaa! I'm so smart that it scares me sometimes!"

* * *

The lionesses were all murmuring to each other as their strange friends brought in the electronics.

Unlike Timon, Pumbaa, or Simba, they knew very little of the world beyond The Pride Lands. They had heard stories about humans. Their ingenuity. Their strangeness. Their violence. How they killed with sticks that blew fire and that they even killed not out of hunger, but greed. They heard that the horns of rhinos and the tusks of elephants were especially valuable to them. In short, they were frightening creatures to be avoided.

Simba remembered when his father told him of humans.

_'Humans are tortured creatures, Simba. They have a dark bottomless gorge inside their souls. And they can never have enough love, or joy, or pain to fill it.'_

He found that his father's words were true. With Timon and Pumbaa, he found great sorrow and unthinkable horrors among humanity. And he found great kindness and incredible courage and a few friends he would never forget.

He settled himself besides Nala as Timon and Pumbaa leaned back into Sarabi's stomach. The old queen would be eternally grateful to them for saving her son, and she had taken to them with a motherly fondness due to their childlike nature. Initally, Timon had been slightly annoyed until Simba told him to let Sarabi mother him since she had missed so much of Simba's life. Soon enough, the meerkat had become a son in all but blood and species to the lioness.

Timon took a swig of cola as he raised the remote control.

They decided to start off with _Predator_ and then lighten things up a little with _Top Gun_. They had made it clear to the pride that the movies were stories. They were not really real. No one actually gets hurt.

"And here we go," he said.

The audience fell silent as the 20th Century Fox intro came onto the screen.

There were so many things and so many words they did not understand, but they were entranced all the same.

They gasped as the Predator's spaceship zoomed in and faded away, but not before releasing a pod that fell through Earth's atmosphere. They were mesmerized as a helicopter carrying a band of grizzled men came into a island military base. The leader, Dutch, questioned why the general had requested his team.

_"Because some damn fool accused you of being the best,"_ boomed a dark skinned man sitting at a table.

_"Dillon!"_ roared Dutch. _"You son of a bitch!"_

The lionesses gasped when Arnold Schwarzenegger and Carl Weathers clasped their tree-like arms.

"Oh my," purred Sarabi, her tale swishing. "Those muscles..."

_Long Tall Sally _by Little Richard was their first taste of human music. Some weren't certain they liked it while the rest were nodding their heads along with Blain, giggling when he claimed his chewing tobacco would turn you into a sexual tyrannosaurus. They admired at the density of the jungle landscape, growing uneasy when Billy found the skinned bodies of Jim Hopper and his men, and were speechless at the mass of destruction the fire sticks caused when Dutch's team stormed the guerillas' camp.

_"Over here. Over here. Over here..." _

_"Turn around. Turn around. Over here..."_

_"HeHaHaHaHaHaHa!" _

_"Turn around. Turn around. Anytime... ... Anytime..." _

A chill ran up their spines as they got a first person perspective from The Predator when it surveyed the damage, playing distorted recordings of the team's voices and picking up the dead scorpion.

Timon and Pumbaa tensed at the growl Sarabi and the other's emitted when Hawkins was taken; then they wailed when Blain was shot down, were rendered speechless once more by the power of guns, and bemused by the alien's green blood.

They dipped their heads in respect as Mac said good-bye to Blain and shared a small laugh when Mac killed a giant boar- Pumbaa always closed his eyes and covered his ears at that part- and became gravely silent when they found The Predator had taken Blain's body. Dutch realized that the creature was using the trees like a hunter, and they set to make a trap. The pride didn't understand what the trap exactly was, but it was fascinating to watch the human warriors work together to build it.

_"So, what are you gonna try next? Cheese?"_

Timon and Pumbaa tumbled forward when Sarabi jumped at The Predator's capture.

_"Anytime."_

The pride moaned sadly as Dillon and Mac's attempt to kill the creature was in vain, and again when Billy made his final stand, drawing a cut across his chest in a vow to fight to the death.

"The coward!" snarled Nala when a wounded Poncho was shot in the head.

They all let out a breath when The Predator passed by Dutch, who discovered a way to fight the creature by hiding his body heat with cool mud. Every one of them was completely still with only their claws flexing nervously as Dutch made preparations for the last battle, and were horrified as The Predator ripped out and cleaned the skulls of the dead soldiers. His 'trophies'. It was no small effort on their part to not roar along with Dutch when he let the jungle hear his war cry, calling his enemy out.

They made disgusted sounds once The Predator unmasked himself, wholeheartedly agreeing with Dutch's 'ugly' remark.

Just when it seemed that Dutch had lost, a great cheer echoed through the den when he triggered his trap, dropping the large log counterweight atop The Predator.

_"What the Hell are you?" _

The creature's evil laughter was more frightening than the explosion it activated, which Dutch barely escape.

It was not a truly happy ending, but the lionesses all talked and shared their opinions of the story.

"What will happen to Dutch?"

"The poor dear..."

"That thing did to them what humans do us."

"They didn't deserve that."

"In the end, _he_ became _the predator._"

Timon and Pumbaa stretched, getting the blood circulating after sitting so long.

"_Top Gun_?" asked Pumbaa.

"_Top Gun_," agreed Timon.

* * *

The Pride was enamored by _Top Gun _right from the opening scene with Kenny Loggings' smooth yet powerful voice blasting from the speakers. They were in awe of the giant fiery metal birds hunting each other across the sky at speeds they couldn't imagine and with as much grace as a hawk. So long as they had the picture and sound, all the confusing words the humans spoke meant little. And they all agreed Tom Cruise was 'a cutie'.

"He can't sing," said Sarafina. "But he's handsome!"

"I agree," rumbled Sarabi.

"Iceman is pretty easy on the eyes himself," commented Nala.

"_**Ahem?**_" asked Simba, puffing his chest out indignantly at his mate.

"Hey, I saw you eyeing that blonde woman," she retorted, playfully.

"You think she'd still like Iceman in _The Ghost and The Darkness?" _whispered Timon to Pumbaa.

"Eh, we'd better not show her that one."

For all their giggling, they were rather bashful and quiet throughout the love scene between Maverick and said blonde woman, Charlie.

The film took a dark turn when Goose died, leaving the cocky Maverick shaken, and his flying skills deteriorating. Now, a US communications ship had drifted into hostile waters and had been damaged, and Iceman and Hollywood were called in for air support, with Maverick as a reinforcement. To their horror, there were not two but _five _Russian MiGs coming at them! Hollywood was shot down, and Maverick was sent out.

_"There's four on our tail! That makes six of them!"_

"Oh, my God," whispered Sarabi, deeply worried for Iceman and Slider.

Maverick arrived to the battle, scared by the number of enemies. He flew through a MiG's jet wash and nearly lost control, reminding him of Goose's death. He pulled out of the fight, leaving Iceman to continue evading enemy fire until he gripped Goose's dog tags, trying to connect to his friend's spirit.

_"Maverick, get in there for Christ's sake! Ice is in trouble! Get in the fight for Christ's sake! Maverick!" _

_"Talk to me, Goose..." _

"Come on, Maverick," encouraged Sarafina.

_"Maverick's reengaging, sir!" _

**"Yeah, Maverick! Whoo!" **cheered Zazu.

"Where'd he come from?" asked Timon.

It was almost like the jets were in some sort of wicked dance. Turning, spinning, dodging, and diving.

Maverick and Iceman managed to destroy three MiGs before one came up behind Mav, and he only had one missile left.

_"What are you doing?! You're slowing down!" _

_"I'm bringing him in closer, Merlin." _

**_"Gonna do what?!" _**Merlin and the lionesses cried.

Using the same maneuver he used on Jester in training earlier, Maverick hit the speed breaks, pulling back up over the MiG, switching places.

Got him!

_"Mustang. This is Voodoo 3. Remaining MiGs are bugging out." _

The pride erupted into cheers and roars as Maverick and Iceman returned home and Maverick reunited with Charlie.

"I want to fly one of those!"

"Yeah!"

"That was amazing!"

"To think they can create such things!"

* * *

"I think that went pretty well," said Timon.

He, Pumbaa, Simbaa, and Zazu sat at the end of Pride Rock's ledge, enjoying a cool breeze playing with their hair- or in Zazu's case- feathers. The movies had opened up a whole new world to the lionesses, one that was both frightening and fantastic. Some of them wanted to see it, some of them would rather stay away. But all of them were impressed, their minds were filled with new dreams.

"Thanks for tonight, guys," said Simba. "I needed it."

"You're welcome!" replied Pumbaa.

"So... can we do this again next Friday?"

"I don't see why not!"

"Good. I think we should watch something a little less heavy."

"Such as?"

"Well," grinned Simba. "I haven't seen _Ferris Bueller's Day Off _in forever. And speaking of days off, you need one yourself, Zazu."

"What?! But the ostriches have a new patriarch! Kadir the Chief Rhino and his mate have conceived a child! And the wildebeest migration has just arrived!"

"Zazu, buddy," purred Simba. "Life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it."

* * *

_**Hope you liked it. I think I'm starting to get a feel for the characters. It was incredibly tiring writing about the movies. **_


End file.
